Gotcha! Crocodile swallows the bait

MACKAY'S infamous Gooseponds crocodile swam its last lap of the North Mackay waterway on Monday before being transported to its new home yesterday afternoon.

For the last two years the Gooseponds croc has defied numerous attempts to catch it.

Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service (QPWS) senior wildlife ranger Tim Holmes said a cylindrical trap and chicken bait left in the middle section of the Gooseponds did the trick on Monday night.

Mr Holmes was staying tightlipped about the crocodile's new home, however, he did say it was in a creek away from humans.

He was adamant it had not been taken to a crocodile farm.

''It is in a creek where we know other wild crocodiles live, away from any urban centres.''

Mr Holmes said our resident crocodile was eager to settle into its new home.

''It shot out of the trap and disappeared into the water as soon as we put it down.''

In its two years in the North Mackay Gooseponds, the saltwater estuarine crocodile grew from 120cm to about 180cm.

Mr Holmes said it was too difficult for rangers to determine the croc's age or sex because it would have been too invasive.

Rangers were confident there were no other crocodiles in the Gooseponds.

Meanwhile, our other resident reptile, the Hay Point crocodile, seems to have packed up and left. Mr Holmes said rangers had been surveying the area regularly and it was believed the crocodile had moved on of its own accord.